North-South Partnerships to Support and Strengthen Tobacco Control Policies and Law Implementation in Developing Countries

Introduction

This project sought to reduce the global burden of tobacco by strengthening the capacity of developing country partners to develop and put into practice policies, programs, and activities that would support FCTC implementation in their countries. Recognizing that an influx of financial resources alone would not in itself ensure effective FCTC implementation, HealthBridge developed the North-South Partnerships to Support and Strengthen Tobacco Control Policy and Law Implementation in Developing Countries project. Through this project, it could apply its model of providing broad technical assistance and support directly to key NGO advocates in the South to support the development of stronger enforcement measures and to improve the uptake of lessons learned and best practices in tobacco control from Canada across South East Asia.

Objectives

The objective of this project was to improve the uptake of lessons learned and best practices in tobacco control from Canada, particularly in Sri Lanka and Vietnam, and also among other partners in the S2S tobacco control network particularly in the South East Asia region.

Results

This project successfully brought together representatives of government and civil society organizations from the South East Asia region to dialogue on issues relevant to the successful implementation and enforcement of tobacco control policies (as outlined in the FCTC). A regional workshop was held in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2008, and provided the ideal environment for sharing Canadian experiences, lessons learned, and best practices to a number of partners currently engaged in improving tobacco control in their respective countries. These countries included Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

The workshop provided the opportunity for useful information and practical advice to be gathered and fed into the Enforcement of Tobacco Control Law: A Guide to the Basics booklet that was distributed to the participants of the workshop and widely disseminated through HealthBridge’s networks and at the 14th WCTOH.

Furthermore, three two-page factsheets were published on smuggling, taxation and pictorial package warnings. These factsheets include highlights of the issues and an overview of Canadian experiences and lessons learned in tobacco control.

Lessons Learned

Participants gained new knowledge about Canadian lessons learned in tobacco control policy, particularly with respect to FCTC compliance around package warnings, taxation, advertising bans, and smoke-free spaces. Useful knowledge was gained about other countries' and organization's experiences in FCTC advocacy and enforcement, particularly in the South East Asian region. Participants also gained new understanding of and willingness to adapt and utilize Canadian lessons learned and best practices in their future work.

The information shared through a mapping exercise showing FCTC compliance in the countries present at the workshop, facilitated greater group discussions regarding different strategies and approaches for law enforcement in the region. This led to greater awareness of levels of FCTC compliance among participating countries and need for better/consistent sharing of experiences, strategies and approaches that can be used to improve law enforcement in the region. It was clear that there have been huge advancements in tobacco control policy, but that more remains to be done.

Recommendations

The successes and challenges identified by each country regarding FCTC enforcement led to the identification of both opportunities for bi-lateral and multi-lateral collaboration and gaps. Continued sharing of experiences and holding meetings that include both government and non-governmental representatives is a very useful way of ensuring effective tobacco control policy and objectives can be met.